Bad News
by ReaperofSouls22
Summary: "I'm with Sebastian and its just soo wrong!" She screeched. He was now over her, righting her up against her locker, his arm was over her head, caging her in. "Well if it's soo wrong," he muttered, his hot breath on her face, "Why does it feel soooo right."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm baaaack! It's been a long, hard and boring two wks, so having nothing better to do; I came up with a new story. This is a high school AU. It's rated T for lingo and sexual content. Its not rated M bc teenagers happen to curse and have sex. Ik first hand. **

**And now without further delay; ON WITH THE STORY!**

ClaryPov:

"God Iz you are unbelievable!"exclaimed the red haired girl at her best friend.

"What's wrong with wanting to go shopping?"the dark haired beauty asked innocently.

The redhead, Clary, rolled her eyes, "We went shopping last week Iz, why are you so intent on getting me to go shopping again tomorrow?"

Isabelle Lightwood sighed exasperatedly, "Clary, babe, we have one of the most important games of the season next week, and knowing the guys, there will most probably be a victory party right afterwards, you NEED a dress!"

Clary groaned but said nothing, it was useless to argue with Isabelle on the subject of fashion.

They continued their walk to the school cafeteria silently, both pissed because of their argument and sweaty because of cheer practice.

{22}{22}{22}

"I AM EXHAUSTED!" Isabelle sighed dramatically dropping herself onto the cafeteria bench.

"Well you're the one who pushed our asses that hard in practice today."retorted Maia Roberts, another member of the cheer squad.

Izzy glared at her and started daintily picking at her greek salad with her plastic fork.

Clary laughed and leaned against her boyfriend, Sebastian Verlac, and said, "Oh lay off her Maia, Izzy's just trying to make sure were in perfect shape for Friday's game."

"I can't wait to see you cheering for me in that tiny skirt," Sebastian whispered in her ear.

The hair on her neck prickled and she smiled sweetly at him, "And I can't wait to see you running on that field all sweaty, and winning us the victory we deserve."

Sebastian smiled at his girlfriend and squeezed her hand slightly, "I won't let you down babe." He mouthed at her.

"I know," she mouthed back at him.

Clary studied him in the corner of her eye, all throughout lunch.

He was tall, towering at 6'1, above her with soft dark hair, pale skin, and pretty dark eyes.

They were the perfect couple, and despite how different they were, they fit together perfectly ; the pretty, bright cheerleader and the tall , dark and handsome quarterback.

She liked him and he liked her, everything was perfect, or at least _almost_ perfect.

Jordan Kyle had been laughing at something Raphael Santiago had said and Isabelle was talking to Maia about something.

The whole table was loud, energetic and noisy, then suddenly a tense silence fell on the entire cafeteria.

Everyone was staring at the cafeteria door, and Clary had to whip her head around to see what they were all staring at.

Then, she saw him.

Jace Herondale, the school's ultimate bad boy.

Everyone in the neighborhood stayed away from him, he was bad news, he was dangerous.

Unfortunately, he was also unnaturally gorgeous.

With his tall, lean figure and his shaggy blonde hair and gorgeous amber eyes, he was most probably the closest thing to an angel the world had ever seen.

But he was no angel. They knew it, he knew it, the whole town knew it; he was _bad news._

And he was walking straight towards them.

The whole cafeteria was tense with anticipation, a conversation between Jace and Sebastian _never _ended well.

Jace wasn't always like that, he was once the school's golden boy; star quarterback and captain of the football team.

Girls, victories and parties just like your average teenage heartthrob.

But then something had happened to him, no one knew what it was exactly. Rumors were that he started joining gangs, taking drugs.

He started picking fights randomly, skipping school and failing classes, so much that he had to repeat his senior year now being a year older than Clary and the rest of them.

And as for Sebastian, there had always been bad blood between them. Jace had been the star and Sebastian his shadow.

So, after Jace's downfall, Sebastian had finally found the oppurtunity to flip the tables around.

Now, he was the king of Idris High, with Clary ruling as queen right beside him.

So now, as Jace was approaching their table, the entire cafeteria held their breaths for the upcoming apocalypse.

Sebastian stood up, Jordan and Raphael on either side of him. Jace kept walking until he was only a meter away from Sebastian.

Sebastian started angrily, "The _fuck_ are you doing here Herondale, I thought I told you that the cafeteria was off limits to you."

Jace smirked, "Actually I'm pretty sure the cafeteria is for _all _the students of Idris High, and being a student, I'm pretty sure I have every right to be here."

"The _hell_ you do!" Sebastian roared and Jordan and Raph had to physically restrain him.

Jace didn't even flinch, he just stared back cooly at Sebastian, and Sebastian, having cooled down, did the same.

"Whattdya want Herondale and make it quick, I don't wanna have to look at your face any more than I have to."

"What I want _Verlac_, is my place back on the team."

Everyone gasped, even Sebastian seemed surprised, "Are you-

"I'm not kidding Verlac," Jace interrupted him, "College is coming up pretty soon and I don't really have much to offer, and I wanna make sure that I get out of this hellhole-

"And I want you out." Sebastian spat.

Jace sighed, "Good, then we're in agreement, guarantee me a spot on the team and I'll be out of your hair."

Sebastian seemed to ponder for a minute then said, "Its hardly my choice who gets to be on the team."

"You're the captain Verlac, coach trusts you, I'm sure you can figure something out."

And with a wink at Clary, he turned around and stalked out of the cafeteria, leaving everyone staring after him in awe.

{22}{22}{22}[22}

"So have you decided if you want Herondale on the team yet?" Clary asked taking a sip of her vanilla milkshake.

It was the Thursday before the big game, and after shopping with Isabelle for what seemed like years, she had called Sebastian and asked him to meet her at Taki's, their usual hangout.

"I don't know yet, I talked to coach and he said that I should do what I think is best. I mean…..on one hand he's a great player and on the other hand he's a complete dickwad. What do you think?"

Clary thought for a minute curling a lock of her red hair with her finger, "I think you should give him a shot, test his chemistry with the other guys. I mean…. personal manners aside, Jace is a good player, or was a good player, he might be a great addition to the team."

Sebastian sighed, "I guess he's on the team then, thanks babe you're always great to talk to."

"No problem," she smiled up at him, "but will he play tomorrow?"

"Nah it's too risky, the guy hasn't practiced in months I bet, and tomorrow's game is important we can't have him ruin it for us. I'll just put him on the bench this time as a substitute, and besides what are the odds that any of us are actually gonna get injured."

Sebastian was smiling, but Clary couldn't help but feel uneasy.

{22}{22}[22}{22}

The girls had wished the guys good luck and went to their positions near the stands where hundreds of students were screaming words of encouragement.

Spirits were high, and the rush of anticipation was burning through the entire crowd and the players.

The players had finally come to the field and were preparing for the first quarter.

Clary looked around for the number 11 from her position on top of the pyramid, and found Sebastian smiling up at her . She sent him a wink and an encouraging smile.

The game blurred by quickly; The crowd were screaming their heads off, the cheelreaders were flipping and dancing like there was no tomorrow, and the players were a blur of green, white and purple.

They were now in the third half winning by 16-12. They were playing really well but it was clear that they were beginning to tire.

Then suddenly the ball was with Jordan, then Sebastian, then Jordan, and Seb was running quickly ahead of everyone else, and then Jordan threw the ball in a perfect arc towards Sebastian, who caught it and ran and ran and ran towards-_thump._

One of the opposing players had placed his foot right behind Sebastians knee, making him fall with his leg bent at an awkward angle.

The crowd had been silent for a moment, then suddenly began screaming and cursing and rioting like crazy.

Clary and the rest of the cheerleaders began yelling insults at the opposing team.

"NO PENALTY! YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES!" The ref yelled.

Clary broke formation and ran towards the field, "C'mon ref that was obviously a cheap shot!"

The referee, Mr. Brookes, shook his head at her, "Sorry miss but the way I saw it, it was a clean tackle!"

This was followed by a chorus of yells from the rest of the team.

"Bullshit!" Clary yelled, "Any BLIND person could see that that was a cheap shot!"

The ref suddenly turned red, "Are you calling me blind miss because-

"Yes, I'm calling you blind because any fu-

Then she felt a hand on her mouth muffling her reply. She was being dragged backward by a pair of muscular arms.

She struggled, kicked and shrieked but the arms were firm.

She was brought to the guys locker room.

Clary turned about to shout at her capturer when she saw who he was.

_Jace Herondale._

He laughed at her dumbstruck face, "You didn't actually expect me to just watch while you called the ref,_ your elder,_ a bunch of unflattering words did you?"

Her face morphed into an ugly scowl, "He doesn't deserve my respect, that was obviously no clean tackle, he was probably bribed by the other coach to stay quiet."

"Your'e right." Jace only said.

"About what? The tackle thing or the bribe?"She asked impatiently.

"Both. But he's the ref and no amount of screaming and name calling will change that. So there's no point wasting your breath."

"How could you be so calm and heartless! Sebastian, _your teammate_, was injured you should be out there with the team helping him." She screeched at him.

Again, he was unfazed, "First of all, I couldn't give a shit about Verlac if I tried to. And second of all, you're the one whose supposed to be out their with your _boyfriend_ not me."

He stepped closer to her.

She fumed, "I would be if you hadn't dragged me here, now if you excuse me I'll be leaving your unwanted presence."

She stalked out of the locker room and turned to see Sebastian and Raphael talking right outside the door.

Sebastian turned to smile at her surprisedly, but unfortunately Jace exited right after her.

"Clary? Where were you after I got hit, and what were you doing in the locker room with _him."_

She walked towards him and put a hand on his arm, "I was looking for you, but then this dickhead showed up and started verbally harassing me." She glared at Jace.

He only smiled.

Sebastian turned towards him with a glare of his own, "Stay away from her Herondale, or i'll make sure you're off the team."

"Relax man, I want no trouble, better yet try to keep _her_ away from _me._" Then he turned around and left Clary gaping after him unbelievingly.

{22}{22}{22}{22}

They ended up winning the game 20 to 18. And everyone was headed to the victory party at Jordan's place.

Clary was walking out of the auditorium with Isabelle, when she felt a burning hot stare on her. _He's still here_.

"You ok babe? Sure you don't want a ride to Jordan's?" Her best friend asked her concernedly

"I'm fine Iz, I'm just gonna hang back a bit and I'll walk home. Calm my nerves a bit."

Isabelle gave her a sympathetic look, "Suit yourself Clare, I know it was a tough day for you, seeing your boyfriend getting hurt like that, but we won in the end and that's what matters."

"Thanks Iz." Clary smiled at her gratefully.

"No problem," she hugged her friend , "And don't forget; wear the black heels not the navy blue ones."

Clary laughed, "Ok Iz I will."

After Izzy left she headed towards the girls' locker room to change.

And as she was opening her locker she saw him.

He was leaning against the set of lockers opposite hers and at the far end of the room.

She shut her locker quickly. "What are you doing here Herondale I thought I told you to stay the hell away from me!" She yelled at him.

He chuckled, "Relax Clare, we're alone."

Clary sighed, "Jace, I told you we had had to stop meeting like this last time."

He put a finger under his chin, "Actually I recall that last time you gave me the same bullshit speech about how we can't be together blah blah blah and then we proceeded to have a very intense make-out session in the back of my car, or did you just forget to mention that part?"

She was about to retort but he beat her to it.

"Also, great show outside the locker room today, you're acting skills have improved I nearly thought you actually hated me."

"Oh I wasn't acting." She spat at him.

He barked out a laugh, "Aw c'mon Fray, don't be like this, we both know you don't hate me. And besides if you _did_ hate me, which you don't, you wouldn't have hung back today, and right now you would've been at that party."

"Don't call me _Fray_." She hissed at him, ignoring the last part of his speech.

"And why not," he raised his eyebrow at her, "one minute its Fray, then it's morgenstern, then next thing you know you'll be Clarissa Calculatorface. Plus, I like the name Fray, Morgenstern's much too stuffy."

"It doesn't matter what you call me Jace!" She cried in frustration, "We can't keep seeing each other!"

"And pray tell why not?"

"Because…because you just don't get it."

"No I don't get it, so please enlighten me." He was coming closer now.

"I'm with Sebastian and its just soo wrong!" She screeched.

He was now towering over her, righting her up against her locker, his arm was over her head, caging her in.

"Well if it's soo wrong," he muttered, his hot breath on her face, "why does it feel soo right."

She was dizzy with lust and anticipation, his lips were only an inch away from hers. She ached to pull him against her, taste him in every way imaginable and yet…..

"Jaaaaaace, I can't." She muttered.

He groaned and stepped away from her. "Why not?" He had his hands in his hair now shaking his golden locks impatiently, a habit, she knew, he had when he was agitated.

She grabbed his arm firmly and looked him in the eye. "You're dangerous Jace, I won't be dumb enough to mess around with someone like you. You know what they say-

"And you believe that stupid high school gossip, c'mon Clary you know me better than that." He looked truly frustrated.

She pulled away from him savagely, "THAT"S THE THING JACE I DON'T KNOW YOU AT ALL!"

She seemed surprised at her outburst and began again calmly. "I don't know anything about you Jace, for all I know you could be a crazy addict."

He gave her a firm look, "The only thing I'm addicted to is _you._"

She looked at him in surprise for a few tense moments, then she pulled away from his grasp, grabbed her duffle bag from her locker and left without giving him a second glance.

**A/N: So that's it! Review if you liked it! **

**-ROS22**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: CHAPTER TWO!**

CPOV:

She forced herself not to think of the look he had given her before she had left.

A look of anguish and agony so raw that she had to forcefully restrain herself from turning around, wrapping her arms around him and telling him that she was there, that she would never _ever_ leave him.

But she couldn't.

For reasons both known and unknown to her.

Being with him was like trying to tame a hurricane.

He was unpredictable and dangerous, but he was also passionate, and that passion was what had drawn her to him in the first place.

She might not have known much about the boy with the strange amber eyes, but she did know two things.

One, that was he broken.

So utterly broken that she could see his shattered remains just by looking in his eyes.

She knew because she was broken just like him.

And two, she knew that he was playing her.

Because in her head, she couldn't comprehend what

anyone who looked like him could possibly see in a girl like her.

_But the pain on his face looked so real_, her inner voice chided her.

He's a heartbreaker, he probably knows how to act.

_What reason could he possibly have to play pretend with you_

Probably to tick Sebastian off

_But Sebastian doesn't even know!_

Clary groaned and splashed her face with water for what seemed like the eighteenth time that day.

Great, she thought, now I'm having arguments with myself, I truly _have_ gone insane.

She pushed all thoughts of Jace out of her mind and focused on applying her makeup. Again.

{22}{22}{22}{22}

She had opted on taking an Uber to Jordan's place rather than go in her own car for two reasons.

One; her heels were too uncomfortable to drive in.

Two; she would probably be too drunk to drive anyway

And she did plan on getting drunk.

Just for once she wanted to be numb, so completely numb that she could just forget everything, dissolve into a world of nothingness, a state of blissful oblivion where there was no drama, heartache, or loss. A world where she was entirely free.

Clary had just stepped out of the Uber only to be immediately greeted by Isabelle, who was looking particularly breathtaking.

She was wearing a short, black, frill one shouldered dress, that fitted her body like a glove.

The shoulder with the huge frills on it was sprinkled with several pink and silver sequins and her feet were adorned with her precious black Aldo pumps.

Her eyes were lined in black and painted with the same shade of neon pink as the sequins on her dress and her hair was in low messy bun.

All in all, she looked beautiful.

So beautiful that Clary couldn't help but envy her.

"Claryyy!," Isabelle gushed as she hugged her, "You look GORGEOUS!"

The redhead looked down at herself self-consciously; she was wearing the simple black halter dress that Izzy had chosen for her and a pair of black stilettos. Her red hair was in a messy high ponytail on her head, but unlike Isabelle, it wasn't messy on purpose.

She had run home from school to change hastily and had barely had time to brush her hair, much less style it.

And standing there next to Isabelle in all her dark glory, she felt inferior and pathetic.

"You look amazing too Iz!" She had said to her best friend, who had smiled at her, completely oblivious to the hidden feelings surging in the redhead's heart.

{22}{22}{22}{22}

Clary wasn't drunk.

She was only slightly tipsy, but it was enough to make her do what she wouldn't have otherwise done.

She had been dancing for a while. Dancing with Sebastian, and Jordan, and Isabelle, and Maia and about a gazillion other people whose names she couldn't recall.

Then she saw them.

She was headed to the bathroom on the second floor to reapply her melting eyeliner when she saw them.

Kaelie Whitewillow making out with Jace Herondale.

Or not so much making out but devouring each other, each of them breathing heavily and obviously preparing to do something that Clary had not wanted to see.

But she couldn't look away.

She didn't how long she had stood there gaping at them before he spotted her.

And what a whirlwind of emotions he must of felt when he did.

Because his eyes had widened a fraction, then his lips had formed a smirk, but the emotions in his eyes had been unreadable.

Clary had turned around without saying a word to either of them and headed to the bathroom with her head held high.

She knew exactly what girls like Kaelie were like. They pretended they hated Jace and talked trash about him in public. Then they would screw him and pretend as if they hadn't been complete and utter hypocrites.

Jace of course wasn't blind, but he also wouldn't turn down the offer of sex no matter what that person felt about him, because in the end he was still a teenage boy. A teenage boy with needs to fulfill.

Needs that she couldn't fulfill for him.

Clary yanked open her purse savagely and pulled out her spare cosmetics set and began to draw on her face.

She opted for thicker eyeliner and a darker shade of red than before on her lips, then, feeling especially spiteful she yanked the hairband of out of her hair and let her flaming curls fall familiarly onto her shoulders.

She told herself that it was because _she_ wanted to wear it down, and not because Jace had told her that he liked it better that way.

Even _she_ wasn't convinced.

Then she stepped out of the bathroom and trudged downstairs with renewed purpose.

{22}{22}{22}{22}

Sebastian was sprawled on a loveseat in the living room talking to Jordan while waving around a bottle of vodka in his hand.

Clary sauntered up to him and sat on his lap, crossing her left leg over her right leg, allowing her dress to ride up a few inches.

"Well this is new," he muttered against her ear, running his hand up her exposed thigh.

She turned her head around and kissed him firmly on his lips, nibbling slightly on his lower lip, earning a low moan from him.

She paused and looked up at him through her copper eyelashes innocently, "Is it so wrong to give a certain handsome quarterback the reward he deserves."

He responded by putting his arm around her shoulders and crushing her to his side.

Clary looked up to find Maia smirking at her knowingly in her stark white jumpsuit.

Clary smiled to herself, _Even for a party Maia wouldn't wear a dress._

Then Maia turned around in a circle, assessing each of the couples sprawled across the floor, couch and chairs.

"Whose up for a_ couples_ drinking game." Maia smirked.

A chorus of whoops followed her suggestion. "There should be a prize!"someone yelled.

Maia put her finger under her chin, as if to think and said with a smirk, "Winners get the master bedroom for the night."

Everyone started yelling in agreement except Jordan who was looking terrified, "NO, NO, NO, my parents _sleep_ there, they'll skin me alive if they found out a couple of teenagers had sex there!"

Maia walked up to him and ran her hand along his arm, "Cmon Jay," she pouted, "it could be _us_ who gets the room, and besides there's a hot tub." She winked at him.

Jordan sighed, "Ok fine, but there better not be any evidence left behind, cuz if my parents come home after a week to find a thong under their pillow or cum on their bedsheets i'll know who to blame." He then glared at them mockingly.

The crowd laughed and began yelling a chorus of, "No guarantees man," and, "WHIPPED," which was followed by a number of whistles.

Sebastian stood up, bottle in hand and said, "Might as well hand us the key to the room right now, cause we all now whose gonna win," he then made a show of kissing Clary's neck.

Isabelle smiled, "No so fast Sebby, me and Raph have got this in the bag." Raphael kissed her cheek.

Maia separated herself from Jordan and announced, "Ok so the couples are, Me and Jordan, Iz and Raph, Clare and Seb, Aline and Helen, Eric and Rebecca….," she droned on, "and Matt and Stacy, so that's it-

"Don't forget me and Kaelie," a loud voice boomed.

Everyone looked up in surprise at the approaching couple. Jace had his arms wrapped around an uncomfortable looking Kaelie's waist, "Any room for us?"

Maia was stunned, "Ummmm….," she looked at Sebastian, "I don't-

"Let him play," Sebastian said surprising everyone, "He's part of the team now isn't he? It's only fair that he participates in the victory."

Jace smiled and Kaelie's confidence returned visibly, she now had a smirk on her face.

_What a wench_, Clary thought savagely.

But then again, she wasn't any better.

"Ok then," Maia said interrupting the silence, "let's play!"

She then proceeded to sit on the floor, everyone else followed suit and formed a circle on the ground.

"So," Aline said maliciously, "truth or dare?"

Raphael snorted, "What are we twelve?"

"No," Sebastian smirked, "We're seven."

Clary laughed, "Truth or Dare it is."

Isabelle daintily placed an empty bottle of vodka in the center of the circle, "I'm first."

No one disagreed.

"Ok Sebastian, let's start off easy, Truth or Dare?" Isabelle grinned.

Immediately Sebastian said, "Dare."

"Hmmmm I dare you to," she paused grinning evilly, "kiss Jace."

Sebastian jumped, "THAT"S STARTING OFF EASY?!"

Isabelle smirked, "You could always drink."

Sebastian groaned looking at Clary, "I'm sorry Clare."

He then walked over to Jace, albeit begrudgingly, and pecked him on the lips.

"Ooooooh," they all cheered. "Bet you enjoyed that Herondale!" Raphael yelled.

Jace was smiling, "Eh I've had better."

Sebastian smiled despite himself and smacked Jace over the head, "You wish Herondale."

"Only in my wettest dreams." Jace answered back.

The group laughed and Clary had to admit it was nice, seeing them getting along, her two boys.

Then she started wondering when they had become _her_ boys.

"Ok I'm next, " Sebastian declared, "Helen truth or dare?"

She paused thinking, "truth."

Sebastian smiled, "Ok, who do you think has the biggest dick in this room?"

Everyone began laughing hysterically, as Helen's face reddened impeccably.

"SEBASTIAN!" Clary yelled, "You can't terrify the poor girl like that!" But she was laughing as well.

"Uhhhhh," the girl said still blushing, "I ummmmm….pass me the glass."

Her and Aline ended up drowning their first shot.

"Awwww I guess she didn't want to hurt poor Seb's feelings." Raphael declared smirking.

Sebastian raised his eyebrow, "You sure she wasn't trying not to hurt _your_ feelings Raph?"

Jordan and the rest of the guys began to holler.

"Relax guys," Jace said, stepping in between the two dark-haired boys, "I think we all know who she was gonna pick."

"Wanna bet?" Sebastian said shoving him playfully.

They proceeded bantering back and forth about how manly each of them was.

Isabelle sighed, "I will never understand the male specimen."

Clary nodded in agreement, "Agreed."

Maia nodded as well, "I hear you girl."

Clary grinned, "But I think we all know that Seb's dick is the biggest."

"Oh no," Isabelle countered with a smile, "I'm pretty sure Raph's is the biggest."

"Oh _you_ would know," Maia bit back jokingly, "But Jordan's is obviously the biggest."

All three of them laughed and called for the boys' attention.

"Ok Maia your turn…..

The group continued playing for hours. Some of them were completely hammered and others were only slightly tipsy.

Raphael had ended up seducing the pizza guy, Maia had prank called the principal, and Jace had drunk an entire bottle of toilet water.

Everyone had played, everyone but Clary.

Kaelie drowned her glass and looked around at the group. "Hmmmm who should I ask next?"

"Oooooh," Izzy said, "Ask Clary, we forgot about Clary."

"Gee thanks." Clary said jokingly, but for some reason the look that Kaelie was giving her sent shivers down her spine.

"Ok then Clary, Truth or Dare?" Kaelie had a smile on her face, like she knew something they didn't.

The redhead gulped, "Dare."

"I dare you to give _Jace_ a lap dance."

Everyone grew silent.

"Uhhhh," she looked at Sebastian.

"It's okay Clare, this is the final round and we're ahead by one point, we can't afford to lose now." He said trying to remain civil.

Clary nodded hesitantly, "Ok".

Seeing her friend's discomfort, Isabelle glared at Kaelie, "Why would you want your boyfriend to be given a lap dance by someone else, wouldn't that annoy you?"

Kaelie smirked, "No, I know it's not real, it's just a game right?"

She looked at Clary when she said that.

Clary gulped again. "Riiight."

She walked over to the chair that Jace was sitting on and took off her light bomber jacket.

She met his stare with a look of her own and bit her lip seductively, his eyes clouded over with lust. She then placed her knees around his waist and grinded her erection against his. She had to bite her lip harder to suppress the moan bound to escape her lips, she could see his member rising from between his jean clad legs. She then flipped her hair onto one shoulder, exposing her milky neck to him and placed her hands on his chest, so she could skim her nose along his neck, his jaw, and his fragile earlobe.

She heard his breathing quicken, and could practically hear him gritting his teeth.

Then the timer rang, and she jumped to her feet as quickly as humanely possible and sat down in her place on the floor beside Sebastian.

Then seeing the surprised looks on everyone's faces and the satisfied look on Kaelie's, she grabbed Sebastian by the collar and crushed her lips to his, as if to make a point.

They played a bunch of other games for a while afterwards, and the tension gradually loosened.

Then, at almost 3:00 AM in the morning, as Clary was about to retire to the master bedroom with Sebastian for the night, she saw him staring at her.

She stared back at him coolly, then, surprising her slightly, he inclined his head slightly to the left and walked out onto the patio.

To any onlooker it might've looked like he had merely acknowledged her, but no.

She knew what he meant.

_Meet me outside, later._

**A/N: So that's it, review if you enjoyed, and tell me what you think might happen next. Also, I need to choose a male character that Clary could trust with her secret, but I'm not sure who. So if you'd like to suggest someone, I'm open to suggestions.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-ROS22**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yes I know its been 3456 years since I last updated, but I do have a life to attend to. **

**Sooooooo, I'm apologizing in advance for this chapter because I haven't really had time to get my creative juices flowing, but I figured I owed you guys a chapter for all ur great support!**

**And now on with the story!**

**WARNING! SOME EXPLICIT SHIT!**

JPOV(finally)

Jace leaned against one of the patio pillars, staring at the round blue pool, with a cigarette in his hand.

As usual, the redhead occupied his thoughts.

_What if she doesn't come?_ He thought, _maybe she was really serious about the not seeing each other thing_

_No!_ He screamed inwardly, _she'll come, she always does._

His reverie was interrupted by a soft thud of footsteps on the wooden patio floor behind him.

He didn't have to turn around to know it was her. He just knew.

"Finally decided to show up?" He drawled in a careless voice, watching grey puffs of smoke come out of his lips.

She moved until she was right beside him, facing the pool.

"Why did you ask me to come here Jace?" She asked in a slightly exasperated tone.

He sneaked a glance at her through the side of his eye; she was still facing the pool, but her posture was stiff, and she kept wringing her arms awkwardly.

"What do you think?" He asked with a roll of his eyes.

She sighed, "This is impossible…no _you_ are impossible! Just leave me alone okay? God, I don't even know why I came I just..", she began to turn around.

He reached out and gripped her shoulder firmly, making sure he wouldn't hurt her, and turned her around so that she was facing him.

She still wouldn't meet his eyes. So that's when he brought his face closer to hers and gripped her chin up with his finger to make her face him.

Her eyes were a green blur of emotion, her irises specked with gold, were shining with unshed tears and her chin was trembling under his fingers.

"Don't leave me Clary," he pleaded, "Please don't leave me like _she_ did."

She nodded slightly after a moment, green eyes shining.

He then did something that was reserved for Clary and for Clary only…he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her fiercely.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, while she tentatively put her arms on his back.

He pulled pack savagely, "None of that."

He gripped both her arms firmly, not letting go of her gaze, and placed them around his neck.

They stared at each other for a while, Gold vs. Green, then surprisingly, Clary yanked down his head and crushed her lips to his.

Her lips were salty, tinged with the bitter taste of alcohol. He was reminded of how she had had those same lips on Verlac earlier that night, and involuntarily applied more pressure to the kiss.

He gripped her waist painfully hard and muttered against her lips, "I don't what Verlac touching you Clary, your'e mine, _mine._"

She moaned deliciously into his mouth, "Yours." She hoisted her right leg around his waist and whispered, "But I didn't like the way Kaelie was humping you either."

He gritted his teeth, "Forget her, I'm only interested in fucking _you."_

She whimpered in response and lifted her other leg onto his waist so that she was straddling him. He gripped her ass in his hands and walked backwards until he hit one of the pillars, their lips not breaking contact except to moan.

She slipped her tongue into his mouth, caressing his tongue gently with her own. He moaned louder and gripped her ass harder, allowing one finger to slip underneath her skirt and into the wet lace underneath.

"You know baby," he whispered breathlessly, "Anyone might walk out and see us here."

She pulled away from him for a second and glared fiercely into his eyes, "I don't fucking _care_."

Then she yanked open his shirt, letting all the buttons fall off.

Jace laughed before leaning in to kiss her again, "I love it when you talk dirty."

{22}{22}{22}

CPOV:

Clary couldn't sleep that night.

Not only had she had sex with her boyfriend's rival, but she was now also sleeping beside her boyfriend right after.

She was thankful that he had slept through it all. She wasn't sure if she could've face him if he had seen her sneak back in.

Sebastian was lying on the side facing her, which made it easier to observe him.

His dark hair was a tangled mess and his mouth was open, a dribble of drool escaping it. His eyelashes were fluttering slightly in his dreams and he was making these cute little dinosaur snores.

His arm was sprawled somewhere under the messy covers, and only his foot was slightly touching hers.

He didn't deserve what was being done to him, that much she knew.

He wasn't a bad boyfriend. In fact, he was almost perfect. He was definitely handsome and now admittedly adorable. He was sweet yet snarky at the same time. He was great at _ahem, _which he, thank god, hadn't tried with her that night despite them winning the master bedroom.

He had claimed that he was tired and immediately crashed onto the bed. But she knew that he had sensed her discomfort, and decided to pass it off as sleepiness.

Another reason why he didn't deserve being cheated on.

Did she love Sebastian?

Maybe.

Did she love _Jace_?

Also maybe.

_Ugh,_ she groaned, twisting around so that she was facing away from Sebastian, _When did my life become so complicated?_

Minutes passed but they felt like hours, so she decided to think about anything but her messed up love-life.

Her dad would've been home thinking about what crazy hormonal things his daughter might've been doing at that time.

Her mom would be in god knows what country she was in now, making out with her boyfriend, Luke.

And her brother, Jonathon, would be in London studying for a college exam or something.

She missed her brother. She remembered when the whole 'MOM CHEATED ON DAD' fiasco had happened, and she had called him, crying hysterically about how her mother was a monster. And next thing she knew, a few hours later, the door bell was ringing and she had opened her door to find her brother standing on the front porch.

She missed his white-blonde hair that always got stuck in pancake syrup. She missed his crooked smile and the way he'd smirk and compliment himself all the time.

That thought reminded her of Jace. Then she winced.

The subject of Jace was still quite painful at this point. Sure, they had just screwed about an hour ago, but very little words were involved, except for the occasional, "Faster, faster", or "Oh, yes please….don't stop".

She wasn't sure if she was ready to forgive him, but she also knew that she didn't want to leave him.

He was a part of her now, an arrogant annoying part, but still a part.

And then she thought of Sebastian and she winced again.

_ENOUGH!_

She willed her eyes to shut, and finally went to sleep.

{22}{22}{22}

Clary was feeling hyper.

It was a Saturday and yet she had set her alarm for 8 am. She was planning to go to the park and finish her 'Sweaty guys in football cleats' drawing and she didn't want to miss the group of guys who usually played ball at that time.

She hurriedly yanked on her Vans, jeans, and tie-dye crop top, pulled her hair into a messy ponytail and put her sketchbook in her backpack.

She then skipped down the stairs and jumped onto the kitchen counter, quickly devouring her already- made pancakes.

"Woah!" Valentine Morgenstern said, "Where did all of this energy come from?"

"Drawing….football….can't….quick" she replied in between pancake bites. She jumped off the counter and put on her backpack quickly.

"Ok fine, but at least give your dad a goodbye kiss or a hello kiss or whatever." He chuckled.

She paused for a moment and planted a huge kiss on her dad's cheek.

She looked at his smile, his kind brown eyes, and the laugh wrinkles around his eyes.

It wasn't fair.

He didn't deserve what happened to him.

He should've gotten a better fate.

Then she thought of her own situation and thought, _How am I any better that my mom?_

{22}{22}{22}{22}

Clary was sitting cross-legged on the grass, her back against the trees trunk and her sketchbook in her lap.

The guy she was currently observing had just shot a goal with his head, and she was trying to capture the rapid movement of his dark hair on paper. So far she was unsuccessful.

"Ugh", she groaned, erasing her last failed attempt, "Why won't you move?"

She didn't feel the presence beside her until a voice said, "Maybe because it's not animate?"

She jumped, effectively drawing a black line through the center of her drawing.

"No, no no nooooooooo!" She scrambled to erase the line but the damage was already done. She had pressed too hard on the pencil for it to be erased without leaving a mark.

She had almost forgotten the presence beside her before the male said, "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen, but in my defense you're very hard to distract."

Clary turned her head to find a familiar glasses-wearing face.

"Oh Simon," she sighed in relief, "you scared me, I almost thought you were some sicko kidnapper."

"Well yes, I am often mistaken for a kidnapping hooligan but then again you're not exactly a kid are you? You only _look_ like one." He grinned geekily.

She slapped his arm, "Oh shut up." But she also couldn't help smiling.

Simon Lewis, Idris High's certified geek. One of her oldest middle school friends. They weren't as close as they once had been, but they were still good friends.

"Same old Clary." He grinned at her.

"Same old Simon." She agreed.

"So what brings you here Si?"

"Oh I was just walking around, getting some air, and then I saw a flame of red on this tree and thought, "Thats either a very a very big ladybug, or Clary's here."

She glared at him, "Haha Si, very funny, I'm dying, thank you for not insulting me."

He smiled cheekily, "Always happy to help."

She laughed, "So, anything interesting going on in your life? How's the band, Ummm Millennium Lint?"

"We're actually 'Robot Leg Fetish' now, but thanks for asking. We're doing pretty well I guess. But surprisingly, most record labels don't find songs like, "I Found a Thong in My Dad's Car," as publicly entertaining as we do."

Clary snorted, "Seriously?' I found a Thong in my Dad's car, Si? Are you guys even trying?"

Simon sighed, "Not really, but Eric insists on lyrics with any form of underwear in them."

"Well, that's Eric for you", she joked, "Well, how about your love life, any new girlfriend I should know about?"

At this, Simon looked slightly uncomfortable, "Umm..actuall-

-OH MY GOSH, there _is _a girl… or a guy or maybe a.."

"Uhh no its a girl," he interrupted her hastily, "but we're not exactly-

"-do I know her? Is she nice? Ooh wait is she on the cheerleading squad, or maybe she's from that D&D geek club of yours!" She exclaimed eagerly.

Simon glared at her, "Its not a _geek_ club, its a professional gaming society, and as for the girl, you _do_ kinda know her, and she's not just nice she's….." His eyes glazed over as he tried to find an appropriate word.

Clary grinned goofily, "You really like her huh? How come I haven't heard about her before?"

He scratched the back of his neck, "Well we're not exactly open about it."

Clary sighed sadly, "Oh no Simon, you shouldn't be with someone whose ashamed of being seen with you, you should be with someone who loves you for who you are, and isn't…."

_A complete hypocrite like me,_ she added silently

Simon shook his head slightly, "Trust me Clare, you wouldn't be saying that if you knew her."

Clary nodded, "Ok Si, but I'm just trying to look out for you. I'm trying to tell you to quit it before you're in too deep."

_Just like me_

They sat in silence for the next few minutes, before Simon said, "So, you and Herondale huh?"

She wasn't sure she heard him right, "I…what….are you talking about?"

He chuckled, "Oh cut the crap Clary, I saw you guys yesterday on the patio, or I saw what _looked_ like you. I couldn't exactly get a clear view what with the….you know."

"OH MY GOD," she buried her head in her hands, "You _saw_ that? Ugh, I am so screwed."

"You mean screwed as in screwed screwed or as in the thing I saw yesterday screwed?"

She scrambled to her knees quickly and looked him straight in the eyes, "You can't tell _anyone _about this Si, and I mean _anyone_. Not Matt, Kirk, Eric or your girlfriend ok? I'd be dead if you did."

He nodded, "My lips are sealed, but what's with the whole secrecy thing? Was it just a fling or something else….?"

"I uhhh it…complicated." She answered lamely.

"I have time."

{22}{22}{22}

"I don't get it," Simon started after she had recounted her story to him, "Why don't you just break it off with Jace?"

"I..I can't, I really care about him."

"Then ditch Sebastian and be with Jace, simple."

"I can't do that either."

"Why not? I mean you can't just keep this up forever."

She sighed, "Trust me I know, but it wouldn't be fair to Sebastian if I broke up with him now, for no apparent reason."

"And this whole secret affair is fair to him how?" Simon was legitimately confused.

"It's..it's not..ugh…and anyway I can't be with Jace in public, cause you know…." She trailed off uncertainly, seeing the look on Simon's face.

"No I _don't_ know. Funny how you're warning me off someone I like, and you're doing the exact same thing."

"Simon I….

"-no Clary, you shouldn't be explaining things to me. You should be explaining things to the two guys you're screwing over. I promise I'm not gonna tell anyone about your secret, because I'm really hoping you'd step up and do it yourself."

He then stood up and brushed the soil of his pants.

And after a moment's hesitation he turned back to look at her and said, "Goodbye Clary, I really hope you think about what I just said."

Then he left.

**A/N: So that's it! Please take the time to review if you liked it. I've been having a tough couple of weeks and your reviews really light up my world. **

**So what did you think of the first scene? And did you enjoy Simon and Clary's little talk? Drop a review and let me know what you think.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**-ROS22**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hiiiiiiiiiii(cue nervous laughter)...yes ikikikikik its been forever since I last updated. The last time I updated was actually in October. Last year. I find that really weird cuz I honestly felt like I was doing a good job avoiding updating without avoiding it for too long. Heh, guess I was wrong. Sooooo let's get caught up on the latest news. Soo corona huh? Quarantine and death and illness and stuff. Don't get me wrong, I'm not making fun or anything, but I just felt that this quarantine was like a sign from God to get me to sit my ass down and write. I've been avoiding it for too long and now I have no excuses since I'm now practically lifeless. So I'm gonna try for the sake of everything to deliver. Enjoyyy**

ClaryPov:

Dinners in the Morgenstern household were by no means perfect, but nor were they awful. In fact most days, Clary actually _looked forward_ to these dinners with her dad. They gave her a chance to talk to someone who actually listened. And sometimes, courtesy of Facetime, she even got to spend time with both her dad _and _her brother.

At first, it had taken a while for Clary to get used to the fact that her mother would no longer be there to cook and criticize her posture. But after a while, she had gotten used to it just being her and her dad. Sure it was quieter, calmer. But it never had the thin layer of tension that always seemed to be present when her mom was there. Now it was intimate and familiar; a time of the day when she could let loose and spill all her troubles.

Her dad interrupted her reverie, "So how was your day sweetheart?"

Clary started playing around with her pasta and said without looking up, "It was fine."

Her reply was met with silence, she looked up and saw her dad looking at her, his eyebrow raised. (dammit he knew how much it annoyed her)

She groaned, "Fiiine it _sucked."_

Valentine grinned, "Now _that's _more like it!"

She smiled despite herself as he continued. "So please elaborate dear teenage daughter of mine, how come your day had, as you put it,

_sucked?_"

She swallowed and decided to just go ahead and explain her problems, "Dad have you ever had to pretend you love someone to protect the fact that you're in love with someone else?"

Her dad stiffened and widened his eyes a fraction, "Why..I...is that what's going in your life right now?"

"No," she paused, "not exactly. I-..I..no."

"Clary," he pressed her gently, "I can't help you if you won't tell me what the problem is. Is this about Sebastian? I thought you two were doing well."

"The truth is...I like Sebastian I really do, but I...I also like someone else."She said hesitantly.

"Ahhhh I see", he dad smiled knowingly, "the old high school love triangle; do I love him or him? Should I choose him or him? Oh, I love them both, but my head wants one thing and my heart wants another ohhhh-

-OK, DAD, I get it. You made your point", she said rolling her eyes, "My problems are pathetic blah blah blah, people are in poverty while you're complaining about problems that barely count as problems blah blah blah. Gee thank you for making me feel loved and listened to."

She looked up to see him wiping a fake tear from his eye, "Honey I...I have never..ever.. been more proud of you I can't eve-

-Why?" she asked, curious despite knowing that he was probably going to insult her.

His eyes shone, "You have never _ever _sounded more like a teenager than you just did right now."

She glared and chucked a piece of pasta at him which landed straight on his eye.

She started laughing as his surprised stare turned into a glare that rivaled only her own. He began throwing pasta at her getting tomato sauce all over her clothes. Clary shrieked and jumped up as he started laughing.

They went on back and forth until they both collapsed from exhaustion, admitting defeat.

A comfortable silence fell on the two of them as they both attempted to catch their breath.

After a few minutes, Clary looked to the side to excuse herself and found her father staring at her with all the love in the world in his eyes.

He smiled seeing her questioning glance, "You look just like your mother."

The mood quickly tightened, "I _still_ don't get how you could have possibly forgiven that woman for everything she's done to you," she began, her voice rising, "she cheated on you, behind _your _back, with your _BEST FRIEND!_ How could you possibly-

-Clary, she's your mother." he interrupted her quietly.

"NO she's not," she retorted icily, "she's been nothing but a whoring bitch who had lived with us for the first couple of years of my life since the day she had screwed Luke behind your back."

Her father's anger had finally spiked, "CLARISSA I FORBID YOU TO TALK THAT WAY ABOUT YOUR MOTHER-

-you forbid me? _You _forbid me? Hate to break it to you dad but you weren't strong enough to say anything to the woman who had cheated on you _repeatedly, _so there's no way in hell you get to forbid me from doing anything." She said as she got up and began making her way to the stairs.

"CLARISSA you do _not _leave until I tell you you can leave. Do you hear me young-

-OH YEAH?"She screamed back at him as she started climbing up the stairs, "_Watch me._"

{22}{22}{22}{22}

"Jon?" she whispered into her phone, now that she was in the dark solitude of her room.

"CLARYY...wait are you crying?" _Silence._ "Cmon Clare tell me what's wrong?"

"I-I don't wanna talk about it," she replied her throat tightening at the sound of her brother's concerned voice.

"Well", he asked gently, "can I at least know what it's about?"

She sighed into her screen, "You know.. the usual. Dad insisting that mom didn't do anything wrong and still defending her."

"Oh," he muttered knowingly, they'd had this exact conversation several times before, "Well do you want me to talk to him?"

She shook her head, then remembering that he couldn't see her she said, "Nah It's alright, I'm just not ready to bring up the topic yet and I'm not sure he is either. So let's talk about you, how's England?."

She could practically hear his grin, "Oh it's fabulous! The university, the people...oh and the CULTURE!"

She smiled at his giddiness, "And by culture, I assume you mean the hot chics?"

He sniffed his nose, "Oh sister how you know me so well."

She laughed, her bother could make her smile in just a second."By the Angel Jon! Correct me if I'm mistaken but is that a British accent that my ears detect?" she gasped dramatically.

She could hear him choking on his spit, "Wha-nooo-never...did you forget the vow that I had made to my country? I would never succumb, no matter the consequences, into using the tongue of the British filth."

She could hear some insulted yelling in the background.

"Glad to see your sarcasm is still intact. Oh JON!" she snapped her fingers, "that reminds me, when are you coming back home? You are coming home for Christmas right?"

"Yes of course I am, I might even be home by Thanksgiving."

"How come?" she asked genuinely curious.

"Well our school has been facing some ventilation issues, so they might send us home for Thanksgiving and extend our vacation all the way to January, of course, there'll be online school till then but you know still...no school." If she wasn't mistaken he sounded kind of proud when he mentioned the ventilation problems. A discussion for another time she promised herself.

"Well that's great, guess you'll be around for a while then and maybe I'll get to meet some of your _friends." _She said sweetly.

"Oh, believe me, you will, half of my English buds have family back in America so be prepared to meet the whole squad," she heard some muffling in the background, "Oi Clary, I've gotta go ok? Talk to ya later sissy." Then he hung up.

Talking to Jon always helped calm her nerves, but now she was alone again.

She needed a distraction. Desperately.

She made a split-second decision and decided to call the one person that would always make time for her.

The phone picked up after the second ring, "Pick me up from my house in twenty."

Then she hung up. She didn't need to listen for an answer.

He'd come. He always did.

**A/N: OKKKK so that's it. Review if you enjoyed and don't forget to stay safe.**

**P.S.: Just for the sake of the inevitable New Year's chapter, I just wanna make it clear that this story is set right now, like in 2020.**

**Yes, ik, there's corona and stuff but for obv reasons, I'm not making the disease a part of the plot. I mean I can't exactly write a sexy hot romance story when the characters have to be, what was it, 156475969 feet away from each other. So ya that's it.**

**-ROS22**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ewewewewewew...grosssss. This feels so weird. Ok so before you start exclaiming in surprise and looking at the sky to see if pigs are falling from it, I'm just gonna come out with it. Yes. I have in fact updated within the course of a month. STOP. DO NOT GIVE ME THAT LOOK. I am still quite sane and no I have not been abducted by barbaric aliens. I'm just...bored. Ok so on with the story cuz this is starting to make me really uncomfortable, also read the A/N below when ur done.**

ClaryPov:

"Where are we goingggg?" the redhead whined for what must've been the billionth time.

The blonde to her left gave her an exasperated look, "I _told _you, you'll know when we get there."

The redhead, Clary, it seems was not satisfied."Well next time you abduct me I'd really like to, at least, know where it is you're abducting me _to." _

Jace snorted, "It's hardly an abduction when you're the one who called me to pick you up in the first place."

She huffed and crossed her arms across her chest, "Last time I call you for anything," she muttered.

He chuckled and said nothing.

When they finally reached a red light, he took the opportunity to face the stubborn redhead.

"Awww cmon Clare you can't really be mad can you? Seeing as you're in my divine presence."He said with a teasing grin.

She only rolled her eyes, but on the inside, her mind was spinning.

This was a side of Jace she rarely got to see; this cocky, smiling, albeit annoyingly, funny side. It put her mind at ease to know that he wasn't just this intimidatingly possessive guy with no other plans for her than sex.

He must've mistaken her silence for anger because he said, "Tough as brick arent you? Hmm, maybe that's what I'll call you. Bricks. I rather like it."

She finally faced him, "Bricks? Oh hell no, I have absolutely nothing in common with a brick!"

He grinned lazily, glad to finally get a reaction out of her, now facing the road again, "Hmmm let's see..small, red, stubborn, thick-headed...Yup, practically twins."

She'd walked straight into that one and she knew it.

She crossed her arms again, "Yeah ok whatever...blondie."

He smirked, "Yeah ok bricks, veryyy original."

{22}{22}{22}{22}

They'd driven for at least an hour before they'd parked on the side of a dark road.

Jace got out of the car and walked over to her side to hold the door open for her.

She raised her eyebrows at the uncharacteristic gesture of chivalry but got out nonetheless.

"So now that we're here," she asked hesitantly, looking at the formidable-looking, thin stingy road, "Do you still mind me asking where we are exactly?"

He turned to face her, his face looked silver in the dim moonlight, "You said you don't know me, so I figured I'd at least fix that part of our already fucked up relationship. I can't promise you everything but ill try to take this as slow as possible. Trust me, you wouldn't be able to handle all the shit that goes on in my life all at once. So baby steps. And as far as my life goes...this is a pretty good place to start. So, " he offered her his hand, "are you ready to get to know me?"

She took it without hesitation.

{22}{22}{22}{22}

They started walking down the dark narrow street hand in hand and so far, Jace hadn't said a word.

It was fine by her, she wasn't going to press him. She was both grateful and guilty enough that he was doing this for her, despite the obvious tension in his posture.

"This place, " he started with a steady voice, but she could feel the involuntarily applied pressure on their clasped fingers, "this place represents a very important time period in my life."

When he didn't continue she asked, "Is it sentimental to you?"

He laughed without humor, "Oh fuck no, this place is probably where I did the most regrettably awful things id ever done in my life. This..I-," he stopped.

She started rubbing soothing patterns across his palm with her fingers. "Jace you don't have to-"

-I don't know if you've heard, " he began again, "but my senior year, last year, was the most bloody awful year of my life. It started, really, at the end of junior year, but let's just say I had a bit of a rough patch." He stopped.

"Rough Patch?" she asked him soothingly.

"I-I'm not ready to talk about that just yet, but the important thing is that last year was awful. Why? Not yet. Later but not yet."

He began walking a bit faster until he was practically dragging her to the end of the road.

They reached a brick alleyway at the far corner of the road.

He spun her around to face him, hands on her shoulders. "No matter what you see in there, I'm just begging you," he implored pleadingly, "to please not let it affect your judgment of me. I wouldn't blame you if it did but-" his voice wavered.

She'd never seen him look so unsure of himself, the great Jace Herondale. The boy whose step never wavered, whose stride never broke, whose smirk never left his face. That same boy was looking at her now with a look of panic and uncertainty but also, if she wasn't mistaken, a great deal of trust.

She gripped his face with her hands and kissed the corner of his mouth. Then she kissed both his cheeks, then his nose, and then she kissed his eyelids shut.

Her eyes closed as well and she leaned in, smelling the scent of him, Jace, allowing their noses to bump, "Don't look at me like that Jonathon Herondale. Don't look at me like I'm the type of person that'll drop you the minute you show any sign of weakness. Any sign of _humanity._ I care about you and I made you a promise that I wouldn't leave you. I'm not about to break any promises now."

He opened his eyes and smiled at her. A _real, genuine trusting _smile.

"Then I guess wed better get going bricks."

She smacked his arm, but she was smiling.

He led her further into the alley until they reached a small door in the slippery wall. It was less of a door and moor of a patch where the bricks had obviously been taken out to form a roughly small human-sized hole.

"Go on then," he urged her quietly, "climb in."

She recoiled from the slimy hole and stared at him in horror, "In _there! _You want me to go in _there?"_

He rolled his eyes, smirk in place, all traces of his previous vulnerability gone.

"Yes your majesty, I want you to go in _there!_" he gasped mockingly, "What's the big deal anyway it's not like you're dressed for prom."

She glanced down at herself, realizing that he was right. She silently thanked God for how comfortable she already was with Jace that she didn't feel the need to dress up for him. She was in a gray Nike hoodie and leggings.

"Err alright fine," she muttered beginning to descend into the hole, "but if I die from rat poison down there I expect_ you to tell my parents the truth_."

He chuckled, "And what's the truth? That you were so greatly enamored by me that you felt the need to follow me into a hole in the wall?"

She glared at him from her crouching position and muttered, "Something like that."

He tugged on her ponytail affectionately, "Chill bricks there's nothing to be worried about. It'll be over in a second, but just try not to hit your head on your namesake Ok?."

"Gee thanks for the leap of faith."

"No problem bricks, no problem."

Clary said a very unbricklike word.

{22}{22}{22}{22}

After an abundant amount of crawling, cursing, and brick-jokes, the odd pair finally rose from the wall to find themselves in an almost exactly identical alleyway to the one they had just left.

"Ummm Jace didn-"Clary started.

-Patience grasshopper." he smiled at her.

He grabbed her hand and walked her over to the road, but instead of finding a dark abandoned street, she found herself staring at what seemed to be a market.

Granted it was still dark and dingy, but there was now the sound of chatter, and an abundance of exotic smells to make up for the eerie silence that the last road had provided.

He tugged her arm, "Cmon."

{22}{22}{22]{22}

The market was unlike anyplace Clary had ever been to. For one, the more -than-a-hundred stalls were, instead of selling regular food and silks and spices, selling the strangest things. From weird bright-colored chemicals to voodoo "magical" trinkets and gadgets.

Clary stopped to look at a stall that was selling plastic packets filled with powder, "Are those-"

-Drugs?" Jace interrupted her briskly, "yeah yeah they are."

He pulled her along the market only stopping slightly to nod at some of the people manning the stalls. She found a hard time registering what exactly it was that Jace used to do here.

They kept walking until they reached a more empty part of the market, which is where Jace started talking.

"So like I said, I'd been going through a rough patch. I-we- and by we, I mean my family, were struggling...both emotionally and... financially, " he looked at her warily at that, but she couldn't understand why. Did he think she had a problem with poor people?

"Yeah...so I- we were struggling, my dad had been fired from his job and my mom was growing ill, and it reached the point that we no longer had any way to pay for her medication."

She urged him to continue with a nod.

He swallowed, "You have to understand, we were living fine before, no scratch that, we were bloody loaded," he snorted," but then my dad lost his job and naturally starting gambling and drinking and shit and my...mom wasn't really getting any better. Our only form of income was from renting out our house, which had been my grandfather's before. So we had to, for a while, live in this dingy apartment which was low since we were used to a bit more," he flinched, "luxurious living conditions."

She smiled slightly when he flinched.

"So yeah things were getting desperate and I had my mom to worry about since my dad obviously wasn't, so I ended up coming here." He finally looked at her.

"Did you sell," she paused, "you know..."

He tugged at his locks, "Well I mean I wasn't a certified dealer or anything but...I did have my fair share of odd jobs to do, some at even odder times."

"Hence the failing and cutting classes," she summed up.

He nodded. "Yeah."

They stood in silence for a few moments before he finally broke it, "So decided whether or not I'm worthy of your royal company or not yet princess?" he smirked. She knew better though, he was scared and he was hiding it.

She bobbed her head and looked at him, "Yeah, its a part of you, a part of your past. And even if it will be a little hard for me to accept it, I..I will. Because I'm not exactly a saint either and I know now that you had your reasons."

His face betrayed nothing but his eyes were glinting.

He stepped closer to her, "You, you're brilliant, but you already knew that right?"

She shook her head, "I didn't. But it's nice to know you think that."

His face dropped down to hers, "No I don't think that...I know it."

Then he kissed her, and holy hell she'd be lying if she'd said that it didn't make her melt. Didn't make her heart lurch out of her chest, and ache with something...something amazing.

His forehead rested against hers, "Ready to go?"

She placed her head on his shoulder, "Yeah..let's go home."

**A/N: Shit that was exhausting. Definitely not my best chapter but it did come 15 years early so at least appreciate that. So we got a bit of an insight into Jace's past and his true character. I'm not terribly proud of it, but making the characters talk after four chapters of consistent making out wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. So I hope you enjoyed.**

**Oh, and btw, I updated my bio so if you want to you should check that out. And I'd also like to point out that my bday is this week, which is mainly the reason that I updated this early since I figured that if the world cant give to me on my day then I might as well give to it. Even though I doubt that writing fanfiction really contributes to the world in any way but whatever. Imma also try this whole reader-writer interaction thing;**

**What did you think of the chapter and what may be something that you wanna know in the next one?**

**Hows ur quarantine going and are u all ok?**

**Also, I just wanna ask out of curiosity how old u think I'm turning since one of my best friends told me that I sound like a 60-year old virgin cat lady trying to sound younger than I actually am. (no offense to all 60-year old virgin cat ladies.) Also Im pretty sure I don't sound like that but my friend is characteristically rude, which is why we get along so well:D**

**So ya thas it review if u enjoyyed!**

**Reviews are the cure to corona!(not rly),**

**-ROS22**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/n: Hey, this ain't gon be long. Just thought I should say; thanks for the support:D**

"Alright I _dare _you to name one subject more difficult than trigonometry, that's right, I frickin' _dare _you."

Jordan scoffed, "Dude need I remind you of the godforsaken subject called 'The Female Anatomy.'"

"Right, dammit," Raphael banged his hand onto the table, "their bodies are the most complicated creatures _ever_."

Sebastian snorted, "Forget bodies. I'd give anything to be able to understand their _brains._"

Jordan and Raphael chuckled appreciatively and began making further lewd comments about the female brain.

"You three are pigs," Isabelle said in greeting, plopping down, gracefully, onto the bench, opposite Clary in the booth.

"Hey," Raphael said in mock indignance, "you've slept with this pig."

Isabelle rolled her eyes, "Momentary lapse of judgment."

"Yeah," Raphael started, with a smirk on his face, "fourteen times."

The boys howled with laughter as Isabelle scoffed and flipped them the bird.

"So where've you been?" Clary asked her, leaning across her boyfriend to pluck a fry off his plate.

"Oh you know, the usual," Isabelle said with a roll of her eyes, "Mom asked me to take Max to that comic book store again."

Clary smiled in amusement, "You don't seem too happy about that."

"Yeah well, I don't think I'll ever understand people's obsession with those weird Chinese magazines."

Clary placed her hand on her heart as if wounded, "How dare you Isabelle Lightwood? Its called _Manga _and it happens to be _Japanese._"

Izzy smirked and gave her a look that said, 'I really could not care less.'

The look oddly reminded her of Jace, which didn't surprise her since nowadays, almost everything reminded her of Jace.

Over the past couple of weeks, he had been nothing but nice and considerate and _open._ True, they hadn't had a repeat of the whole market episode but she still found herself knowing him much better than before.

His parents were his favorite people in the world, other than his best friend, whose name he didn't give, and his cousins. She now knew that his dad had been fired from his job for no apparent reason and that that was why their financial state had declined. She also knew that after the whole trauma with his mother, they were now stronger than ever and rich and _happy._

She loved that he loved his parents and she loved that he cared about them enough to risk his future. She only wished that someday, she would be worth the same amount of trouble.

She heard the a jingling of bells, and turned her head to see Eric, Matt and Kirk entering the diner. Simon was noticeably absent.

Clary thought back to her conversation with Simon about Jace and frowned.

She was thinking of him.

Again.

"What's going on up in that pretty little head of yours?" Sebastian asked, turning around in his seat, and brushing his lips across her cheekbones lightly.

"Nothing," she muttered quickly, embarrassed that she had been caught-off-guard thinking about Jace.

Again.

Sebastian chuckled dryly, "You sure? You looked pretty conflicted for a moment there, another second, and your brain would've imploded."

Clary smiled at him, still blushing, "I'm fine Seb, really," she added seeing his condescending look.

"So if I asked you if you wanted to head out for a little air, would you say no?"

Clary thought for a moment then said, "I-that actually sounds really nice."

He smiled at her, with that cute dimpled smile that she liked, "Good 'cause I really can't stand being within the proximity of these two morons for another second," he said pointing a finger behind his back at Jordan and Raphael.

She laughed and let him lead her by the hand to the door of the diner, ignoring the outraged screeches of the boys sharing their booth.

* * *

"Sooo what _has _been up with you lately?" Seb asked suddenly, after a few moments of comfortable silence.

They were standing on the pavement in front of the diner, hands in their pockets, and wind in their faces.

"What?" Clary asked, alarmed.

Sebastian shrugged, "I don't know, you've been acting pretty weird for a while now and I figured I'd just ask you what's up."

"Well I'm sorry," she replied coolly, "if I wasn't expecting to be ambushed when you told me that you just wanted to 'Get some air'."

Sebastian's eyes widened, "Hey now Clare, I didn't mean anything by it. I just," his voice broke, "I want you to know that you can talk to me."

She turned her face away from his and stared at the cars zooming past on the road, "I know I can."

"No," he scrambled to her and placed her hands in his, "I don't think you _do _know Clare."

She finally turned her head to look at him, and saw that there was this mad determination in his eyes, "_What_ don't I know?"

"I want you to be able to talk to me, Clary," he said sincerely, "I _want _you to tell me things because I _want _to hear them. I-I..care about you Clary, a lot. I-" he broke off.

"Y-you what?", she stuttered, heart beating in her chest.

"I," he looked her straight in the eye, jaw set, posture firm, "I think I'm in love with you."

She gasped and wrenched herself away from him, "Seb I'm so-

-No, Clary," he interrupted her, "You don't need to say anything. _You _don't owe _me _anything. Do you understand me? _Don't _be sorry. You have nothing to apologize for."

"But Seb I_ do _care about you...a lot. I just.. I'm not ready to say-

-its OK Clary, honestly. I don't expect you to say anything and I'm not gonna rush you. I just wanted to tell you how _I _felt."

She looked into his eyes for the first time since his epic announcement, and she didn't know if it was the way his hands were steadily gripping her shoulders or the way his eyes were smoldering intensely into hers, telling her the deepest secrets of his heart, or just the simple way in which he had said it, but she found that she _believed _him.

He really _didn't _expect her to say anything.

And she wasn't sure why, but she knew that that made the whole difference in the world.

"I _do_ care about you, you know."

"I know."

"And I _will _say it back...maybe. At some point."

He smiled at her, "I know that too."

* * *

"So what was that about?" Isabelle asked, once they were alone in the safe vicinity of her car.

"What was what?"

Isabelle sighed exasperatedly, "That thing with Sebastian! You left looking alright and then you came back looking like someone had told you Christmas was cancelled!"

"It was," Clary paused, contemplating on whether or not to tell her, "it was...nothing."

"Nothing?" Iz asked in disbelief. "Doesn't feel like nothing."

"Except it _was _nothing Iz!" Clary cried in annoyance, "God just leave it alone."

Isabelle made a rude noise, and turned to look at the road.

After a few tense moments, the dark-haired beauty started again, "You know you used to tell me shit, Clare. What the hell happened?"

Clary huffed and crossed her arms across her chest, "I still tell you shit, but that doesn't mean I have to tell you _everything._"

"We're best friends," Isabelle replied in indignation as she made a sharp right, "that's _exactly _what it means."

Clary shrugged and looked out the window, "Whatever."

"Well you're being a real crap best friend right now."

"Oh because you're just the _prime _example of friendship yourself."

"Hey I tell you everything!"

"Yeah well "_everything"_ isn't just the disgusting details of your sex life, or who did what with who. _Everything _means _Everything. _Yeah thats right, don't think I haven't noticed your random disappearances and your weirdass behavior and-ISABELLE AHHH!"

Isabelle slammed on the breaks so suddenly that Clary was cut off mid-rant.

She pulled over to the side and stared ahead stonily, her fingers clenched tightly on the steering wheel.

"Iz wha-

"Get out, Clary."

Clary's eyebrows shot up, "What why? Theres still like four-

"_Get out, Clary_." Then as if sensing her friend's incredulity she added, "_Please."_

It was only her best friend's broken voice that urged Clary to unfasten the seatbelt and unlock the door.

Once she was standing outside, she looked through the open window at Isabelle, who still wasn't looking at her.

"Isabe-

"Goodbye Clary. Call me when you feel like being a friend again." And with that, she sped off, abandoning the redhead on the pavement, four blocks away from her home.

Clary looked up at the sky, still in shock, "What the _hell _just happened?"

* * *

Clary leaned across the pile of pillows she had made and picked her phone up from her nightstand.

She clicked the side button and saw that except for a couple of Instagram Story updates, the notification page was completely empty.

She sighed and placed her phone back on the nightstand.

No texts from Isabelle.

Not texts from Sebastian.

And most importantly...no texts from Jace.

She had texted him a while ago that she really missed his voice and he still had yet to answer.

She was about to shut the lamp, and head to sleep when she heard a knock on her window.

Clary stood up slowly, and silently padded across her bedroom to the window and slid the curtain aside.

She gasped, Jace was standing right outside, perched gracefully on the railing of her small balcony.

"What are you doing here?!" She asked, hurriedly opening the window and letting him inside. "Its freezing outside!"

He smirked as she fussed around him, asking him if he was cold, "You asked to see me didn't you?"

She frowned, "No, I said I missed your voice. That doesn't mean that I want you to climb the side of my house, in the dead of the freezing night, just to come and see me."

He smiled gingerly, "Oh well a bit too late for that don't you think?"

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't fight the smile off her face.

She led him to her bed and he laid down on it gracefully.

_He belongs here_, she couldn't help but think.

"So what is it thats got you in such a state?"

She told him about the whole fiasco with Isabelle.

He was nothing but gentle and understanding, gently stroking her shoulder and soothing her with his voice.

Yet another thing that had changed about him.

This whole gentle and caring thing.

They laid there in silence after that, each of them simply enjoying the other's presence.

"Sebastian loves me."

"ًWhat?" Jace sat up violently,

"He told me he loved me today." she said calmly, placing her hand on his shoulder, urging him to lie back down.

After a moment, Jace did lie back down.

"What did you say?" he asked reluctantly, attempting to hide his feelings on the matter.

"Nothing," she answered promptly, "I just told him that I wasn't ready to say it back."

"Oh," Jace replied, "so you don't love him?"

"No."

"Oh well, good I guess." He answered fighting to keep his releif from being too evident.

"Yeah," she sat up and he followed her lead, "_good._"

They fell into silence again, sitting beside each other, but this time the silence was slightly awkward.

"Jace do you hate me?" Clary asked suddenly.

"What, why?" He asked, taken-aback by this question.

"Do you hate me," she began again softly, "for what I'm doing to you?"

He pondered for a minute, and it broke her heart that he had to think.

"No," he said finally, "I don't hate you. I should...but _god _I don't. If it were anyone else...maybe. But it's you, and against my better judgement," he sighed, "I could never hate you."

"Well _I_ think you should hate me."

"Why's that?" He looked at her, but she was gazing intently at the window.

She answered, but if the room hadn't been so depressingly quiet...he might not have even heard her at all.

"Because I'd hate me too."

**Thas it;)**

**Cheers and stay safe,**

**-ROS22**


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